Today I am welcoming one of my cohorts from the Insecure Writers Support Group to talk about her reason to self-publish- and show us her brand new book!
Welcome Lori L. MacLaughlin!
Reason #57 Why I Chose To
Self-Publish
Okay, just kidding. There really
aren't 57 reasons, but there are quite a few. This particular reason stemmed
from a writers' organization meeting I attended two summers ago. At that time,
I was on the fence, trying to decide between continuing my pursuit of
publication along the traditional path or veering off down the less-traveled
road of self-publication.
The speaker, a mystery writer I'll
call Agatha, talked about her experiences leading up to the publication of her
novel. She'd written the story from two points of view, with each chapter alternating
between the female and male protagonists, who eventually become lovers.
Agatha was delighted when her
manuscript was accepted. Her agent/editor (I forget which) loved her story, but
told her she'd need to ditch the two-POV style and write it from just one
person's POV. Agatha agreed to do this and rewrote the book to the new
specification.
Not long afterward, things didn't
work out, and she ended up going with a new agent/editor. This person also
loved the story, but said Agatha should go back to her original idea with the
two points of view. So Agatha rewrote the book a second time to fit this new
agent/editor's recommendation.
Her book was eventually published in
its original, alternating-chapter format. She has since published a second book
in the mystery series, also in this format. Both have garnered mostly four and
five star reviews.
Now, I don't know about anyone else,
but I don't want to have to change my story to fit someone else's vision. And
while I realize this may be an extreme case, it can happen. It did happen.
Everything in publishing is
subjective. What one person likes, another doesn't. What if my story was
accepted for traditional publication and I didn't agree with the suggested
edits? Or worse, what if I hated the cover? How much say would I have in these
matters? I couldn't imagine working all those years crafting my story, only to
be disappointed in the results.
I thought about what I would have
done if I'd been in Agatha's position. Would I have rewritten the book?
Honestly, no. It wouldn't have been worth it to me. If I couldn't have kept the
story true to my vision, I wouldn't have wanted it published at all.
That's why I chose self-publishing —
one of the reasons, anyway.
"Two
roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has
made all the difference." Robert Frost
Lady, THY NAME IS TROUBLE
Trouble
is Tara Triannon’s middle name. As swords for hire, Tara and her sister Laraina
thrive on the danger. But a surprise invasion throws them into chaos... and
trouble on a whole new level. Pursued by the Butcher, a terrifying assassin
more wolf than man, Tara and Laraina must get a prince marked for death and a
young, inept sorceress to safety. There’s only one problem – eluding the
Butcher has never been done. Aided by a secretive soldier of fortune, they flee
the relentless hunter.
Gifted
with magic and cursed by nightmares that are all too real, Tara must stop an
army led by a madman and fend off an evil Being caught in a centuries-old trap
who seeks to control her magic and escape through her dreams – all while keeping
one step ahead of the Butcher.
Lori
L. MacLaughlin traces her love of fantasy adventure to Tolkien and Terry
Brooks, finding The Lord of the Rings
and The Sword of Shannara particularly
inspirational. She's been writing stories in her head since she was old enough
to run wild through the forests on the farm on which she grew up.
She
has been many things over the years – tree climber, dairy farmer, clothing
salesperson, kids' shoe fitter, retail manager, medical transcriptionist, journalist,
private pilot, traveler, wife and mother, Red Sox and New York Giants fan,
muscle car enthusiast and NASCAR fan, and a lover of all things Scottish and
Irish.
When
she's not writing (or working), she can be found curled up somewhere dreaming
up more story ideas, taking long walks in the countryside, or spending time
with her kids. She lives with her family in northern Vermont.
Lori L. MacLaughlin
Social Media Links:
Twitter: @LLMacL
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